The Nam Center for Korean Studies had the pleasure of hosting residencies that showcase Korean arts. Guests of many different disciplines have taken part. To list a few we’ve been joined by Asian American activist and dancer, Peggy Choy, who combines interdisciplinary work of activism, martial arts, and dance; JuYeon Kim, sculptural artist who created WiAn: White Garden With White Noise, an installation of meditative poetry, a soundscape by classical music composer George Tsontakis, and sculptural objects; and Mia Chung, award winning playwright who wrote, You for Me for You, and took part in our event entitled, "A Conversation on North Korea as Artistic Inspiration."
The Nam Center Signature Artist Residency Program was supported by the Core University Program for Korean Studies through the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and Korean Studies Promotion Service of the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS-2016-OLU-2240001).
Reclaiming the City in Korea
Reclaiming the City in Korea is a podcast mini-series from the Nam Center for Korean Studies at the University of Michigan. In this mini-series, Se-Mi Oh, assistant professor of Modern Korean History, interviews two influential artists involved in architecture and urban design. She co-produced the episodes with Francisco Sanin, an international architect and urban designer, and professor at Syracuse University. The podcast was created in relation to the Perspectives on Contemporary Korea Conference 2021-22.
Episode 2 | Ju Hui Judy Han
Our final guest in the mini series, Ju Hui Judy Han, is an assistant professor in Gender Studies at UCLA and has a PhD in Geography from UC Berkeley. She writes and draws comics about a range of topics in transnational Korean Studies, from Korean Christian missions and megachurches in Seoul to queer activism and protest cultures, all the while raising questions about mobilities, relations, and space. She is working on a book manuscript currently titled Queer Throughlines: Korea, Diaspora, Activism.
Episode 1 | Hyungmin Pai
Our first guest, Hyungmin Pai is an architectural historian, critic, curator, and professor at the University of Seoul. Twice a Fulbright Scholar, he studied architecture and urban design at Seoul National University and received his Ph.D from MIT. For the Venice Biennale, he was twice curator for the Korean Pavilion, which in 2014, was awarded the Golden Lion. He was the Director of the inaugural Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism and has been curators for major international exhibitions. He is presently working as a researcher-curator for a major cultural initiative on Climate Change supported by the Arts Council, Korea.